This paper discusses common miscommunication problems that occur between Japanese and Americans, even when both are speaking Japanese, with a focus on high contextuality and women's position in business organizations. It also examines how these cultural differences can be addressed through the use of videotaped conversations. One of the preeminent…

This paper examines the importance of culturally-specific learning styles within the context of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990. The Act posits that all students can learn, that students learn differently, and that students learn better when they are taught utilizing their preferred learning modalities. A review of the literature…

If an institution's goal is cultural diversity, the institutional response must go beyond a core curriculum that transmits culture or a multicultural curriculum which transforms culture, and embrace a curriculum which enhances individual differences. The core curriculum has an unabashed European cultural bias and requires assimilation to the…

The study reported in this paper describes the first school encounters of four Hmong third-graders and their difficulties in adjusting to classroom learning activities. Three boys and one girl were chosen for observation. Two of the boys were classified as learning disabled, and the other two children were being considered for recommendation to…

This paper examines multicultural postsecondary education and provides a framework through which equal learning outcomes can be delivered. The paper begins by clarifying what constitutes multicultural education, defines it, discusses common misconceptions, and examines how the goals of multicultural education have changed over the years. Next, the…

This manual identifies critical factors to consider when conducting a least biased assessment of children from a non-English speaking background. The first section identifies relevant linguistic issues. The second section discusses aspects of English as a Second Language including legal issues, alternative means of assessment, testing without…

The report is developed around five priorities which are based on the premise that English as a second language (ESL) students in general, and the reservation bound Indian students specifically, are isolated both educationally and culturally due to conflicts of language and learner based confusion of terms, ideas, and concepts as a result of…

Methods of working with foreign students, especially those from Malaysia, have been modified at Southern Illinois University. Problems have arisen in dealing with two different groups of Malaysian students: recent graduates from secondary schools, and graduates of Malaysian teacher training colleges. The first group comprises very young students,…

This paper attempts to assess the influence of development communication theory on the planning and implementation of technical assistance projects in the Third World that utilize mass communication as an agent of change. Like political development theory, communication theory has often been applied in an ethnocentric manner in less developed…

Events in American history are looked at through the eyes of Mexican Americans. Chapter 1 covers the American Indian (primarily Aztec) and Spanish background of the Mexican people, and the problems between the white settlers and liberal Mexicans living in Texas that eventually gave rise to the Mexican American War of 1846. Chapter 2 discusses the…

This study was undertaken to shed light on problems concerning the construction and use of a common test battery for various South African population groups. Specifically, the psychometric suitability for use with Indian and Black pupils, of the Junior Aptitude Tests (JAT), which were standardized for White pupils in Standard 7 was studied. The…

This report illustrates how practitioners in The City University of New York's compensatory education programs are starting to realize that ethnicity, culture, and family heritage have a significant role in the educational and psychological development of students. It provides a compendium of the efforts made to apply cultural knowledge to the…

The University Commission on Human Relations of San Francisco State University was appointed to study how the campus community deals with human relations, focusing on issues of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or religion. The study involved: three surveys taken of students, faculty, and staff/administrators; public…

As part of the data collection efforts of the San Francisco State University (SFSU) Commission on Human Relations, a survey was conducted of 400 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at SFSU in the fall 1989 semester. Frequency distributions for each of the 41 items on the survey questionnaire are provided. The questionnaire covered:…

This guide, originally written to aid in the identification and education of ethnic minority patients with hemophilia, has been published to assist community groups in a range of educational, medical, and social service outreach efforts. It begins with two introductory chapters on ethnic identity and intergroup relations. Chapter 3 offers…